Security News > 2021 > July > Curious to see how healthcare cybersecurity fared this year?

In a new report, CynergisTek reviewed just under 100 assessments of healthcare providers across the continuum, including hospitals, physician practices, Accountable Care Organizations, and Business Associates.

These assessments measure organizations' security posture against the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cybersecurity Framework, a standardized framework first published in 2014 intended to help protect American critical infrastructure.

Assessments were categorized into two cohorts: high performers with NIST conformance scores over 80% and low performers with conformance scores under 80%. The report focuses on the industry's overall status in cybersecurity preparedness, with 64% of organizations below 80% conformance.

"The past year has been arguably the most trying on the U.S. and global healthcare systems. We saw cybercriminals attack hospitals and healthcare institutions when they were at their most vulnerable - the industry made it through, granted with some bumps and bruises," said David Finn, EVP at CynergisTek.

Given recent attacks on these critical third parties and suppliers - ranging from SolarWinds to Microsoft Exchange - and given the decentralized nature of global supply chains, it is imperative for organizations to dedicate time and resources to supply chain security before risks expand exponentially.

People are an organization's first and last line of defense, and despite the industry's overall year-over-year improvement in cybersecurity posture, awareness and training remain an alarmingly unaddressed portion of companies' strategies.

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